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Entries tagged with conventions

It's always fun to hear how someone else experienced an event you were both part of. Juliette and I had both wanted to do readings at Baycon, but weren't scheduled. We realized that our work had a common theme, so we created an "event" -- a discussion dialog and readings, and managed to get it added to the program. Much to our delight, a whole bunch of people showed up. I read from Collaborators and Juliette gave a stirring performance of the first chapter of For Love, For Power.

Here's her description:

Deborah and I went up for our last panel, which the lovely Programming directors allowed us to add at the last minute: Worldbuilding discussion and reading. This was just a kick. Basically Deborah and I spent about half an hour talking about worldbuilding - but not in a general sense. She talked about the world she had created for her novel Collaborators, which was inspired in large part by the city of Lyon in France, and I talked about Varin and the inspirations behind it, including the pervasive metaphor of being trapped (trapped underground, socially trapped, trapped in a marriage, trapped in one's own head). Then she read from Collaborators, and I read the first chapter of For Love, For Power. I really enjoyed the sections she read, especially the use of detail to provide world information but simultaneously to further character and plot. It reminded me of Ursula K. LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness in that the aliens here have no gender - but it was fun to see her approaching it more from the insider's point of view than from the human point of view. I have to admit I loved reading my chapter. Normally when I'm on a panel I feel a bit like I used to when I was teaching, but this time I felt like I was on a stage. We had a terrific audience of about 15 people, and they really got me amped up! Both Deborah and I autographed and gave away the pages we had read from, and we left the room grinning and giggling with how much fun we'd just had. I really hope we get to do something similar next year.

“If you obviously can’t handle the social interactions at an SF Book con, then perhaps you need to seek some education … I suggest that you never, ever leave the confines of white, educated middle class North American society. In Nigeria and Saudi Arabia they take people like you and kill them with rocks.”

The assumption that “people like you” are treated even worse in some other part of the world does not mean you should just shut up and accept how you’re treated here.

If we’re taking “people like you” to mean “women,” then guess what — white, middle class North Americans kill an obscene number of women too.

I suppose harassment and even assault could technically be defined as “social interactions,” but trying to normalize this kind of behavior and suggest that anyone who isn’t tough enough to take it should just stay away? Yeah, bite me.

“…during my freshman year in college, I knew two women who’d been raped, and a third who was probably raped but was too drunk to know for sure (that was in a fraternity basement). At the same time, I never heard about a woman being raped at a con.”

See response 1, above. The fact that you perceive things to have been worse at your college does not, by definition, mean that things at a con are all fine and dandy.

The fact that you’ve never heard of a woman being raped at a con does not mean it’s never happened. (It may just mean you’re not paying attention.)

“There are several Learning Disorders and Behavior Disorders that affect a man’s ability to understand body language … Some guys are just creeps but some have a true social disorder.”

I should ask my therapist about this one, because I’m very curious what kind of social disorder causes a man to:

Selectively target women to invade their personal space and touch them without permission.

Ignore verbal boundaries set by women, but pick up on the unstated message right away when a man steps in to “protect” the woman.

Maintain socially normal relationships with men and with women who aren’t in his “target” demographic.

“Is flirting at cons now forbidden? When does flirting become harassment?”

Things people should have learned in kindergarten:

Respect.

Keep your hands to yourself.

No means no.

If you seriously can’t tell the difference between flirting and harassment, I strongly suggest you do neither until you’ve worked that out.

“Is a convention committee obligated to provide a Utopian space throughout the convention? Should the convention committee have some sort of thought and action police, empowered to pull badges at the merest whisper of complaint?”

No. Which is why nobody’s asking for this.

Does anyone else think that equating a space where there are rules against harassment, and those rules are enforced to some kind of impossible Utopia is just depressing as hell?

“Their eagerness to see and punish harassment worries and befuddles me.”

No sooner had I finished the rough draft of The Children of Kings than davetrow and I betook ourselves off to Westercon. It's "over the hill," and downtown San Jose, which means in the vicinity of $20 every day for parking. (The hotel's $26/day). The only thing I can say is it's still cheaper to commute than to stay in the hotel.

I truly meant to leave little reports, but both last night and this I am way too frazzled; hence, the crankiness about the cost of parking. I have taken a few notes here and there, most on panels I was not on -- this is one of those cons that are mostly panels I am on, so those may be a bit scarce. The programming is by and large quite good, although Dave may insist that his last panel today ought to have been bundled into the 2 others of similar theme. It does feel very spread out, especially in comparison to World Fantasy in the same hotel. Someone said registration was around 600, so we're all rattling around in too much space.

However, there are many perfectly lovely people there, desperance andklwilliams among them. So it is impossible not to have a wonderful time.

Friday, May 27 2:30 PM to Friday, May 27 4:00 PM in room: Camino Real Writing Rituals: Conventions can be great places to get re-energized as a writer -- or can be distractions. It's a great time to re-think (and perhaps try some new) writing rituals. Panelists discuss some of their favorites.

Saturday, May 28 10:00 AM to Saturday, May 28 11:30 AM in room: Lafayette: Book View Cafe Book View Cafe started as a cooperative to make the authors' out-of-print books from major houses available to a new generation of readers, but it's since expanded to original publishing. Book View Cafe members talk about the cooperative.

Saturated with con-ness or con-itudinousness or... you get the picture.

Part the first of reportness will be up on BVC's blog (and linked to Facebook) tomorrow morning. What more does the universe require of one? For you, faithful Living Journalisms, a special missive...once neurons are playing nicely with each other.